WeBWorK: The Ultimate Teaching Assistant

1
WeBWorK The Ultimate Teaching Assistant?

• Olly Gotel Jackie Baldwin
• Rick Kline Eileen Crupi
• Christelle Scharff Tabitha Estrellado
• Andy Wildenberg

2
Agenda

• Introductions and survey of online tools
• WeBWorK
• What it is, where it is used, what you can do
  with it, what we are doing with it and why
• Using WeBWorK as a CS student
• Range of questions it supports (with extensions)
• Randomization and attempts
• Be the universal instructor/student
• Question formulation, answer entry and getting
  feedback (as both an instructor and student)
• Lessons to date
• Future work

3
What Is WeBWorK?

• Web-based, automated problem generation, delivery
  and grading system
• Free, open-source project funded by NSF
• Initial development and applications in the
  fields of mathematics, physics
• Currently in use at more than 50 colleges and
  universities

4
How Can It Help?

• Homework, Quizzes, Practice
• Randomization
• Instant feedback
• Ability to try again

5
Who Else Is Doing This?

• WeBWorK math, physics
• OWL (Thomson Course Technologies) chemistry (and
  perhaps other fields)
• CodeLab, CourseMarker, Codewitz, Gradience

6
WeBWorK at Pace

• Extend WeBWorK for use in computer science
  curriculum
• Interface WeBWorK with other tools to facilitate
  grading of new problem types
• Enhance feedback mechanisms for both students and
  instructors
• Work funded by NSF grant

7
(No Transcript)
8
Using WeBWorK in CS121/IS223

• Fall 2005 (Java)
• For in-class tests (multiple choice / matching)
• Spring 2006 (Python and Java)
• For in-class tests (multiple choice / matching)
• For homework exercises

TEACHING LEARNING LESSONS FROM EXPERIENCE
9
Preparation

• More time upfront, less after (currently)
• Mitigating plagiarism random ordering of answers
  in multiple choice questions, parameterization of
  code in matching questions x out of y questions
• Importance of quality assurance
• Logistics check clock synchronization, printing
  individual test papers

10
Students Perspective

• Positive
• Instant feedback and self-assessment
• Issues and questions
• Consequence of no hardcopy annotations, answer
  elimination?
• Matching questions text box size, multiple
  answers?
• Context complete, visibility of progress?
• Single attempt answer commitment (shock to see
  results at the click of a button where did I go
  wrong / so what?)
• Multiple attempts can lead to trial and error
• Transfer of understanding between own programs
  and variants demonstration of real
  understanding?
• Motivation to use

11
Professors Perspective

• Positive
• Class size (a helpful teaching assistant!) --
  marking ?
• Can see who is attempting homework
• Variation in the questions
• Quite straight forward to change questions to
  other programming languages
• Reuse next subjects in Cambodia and perhaps
  Finland!
• Negative
• Time to write and QA
• Granularity of feedback for me and students
• Going through solutions in class
• Effective?

12
Future Work

• Tailor questions dynamically to support specific
  student needs (to challenge or support) based on
  graph of topics
• Compare mechanism for student learning
  references, hints, easier/harder questions
• Need more granular and visual feedback on
  performance for students and professors
• Possibility for class alerts any common
  problems, trends?
• Measuring whether these systems actually work!

13
Dissemination

• Poster Presentation at the Special Interest Group
  on Computer Science Education Conference, Houston
  (SIGCSE 2006)
• Poster Presentation at the Innovation and
  Technology in Computer Science Education
  Conference, University of Bologna, Italy (ITiCSE
  2006)

14

• Your Questions ?

15

• Our Questions